Five New Entertainment Startups You Should Follow

Although the economy seems sluggish, employment growth would be nonexistent without small businesses and startups.

So what are the latest startup trends? Entertainment startups. Entertainment entrepreneurs from all over the world are hoping to develop the next big thing to help people discover, interact, and connect with their favorites in television, media, and film.

Although there are hundreds of entertainment startups trying to make a name for themselves, here are five worth looking into.

Reelhouse, which is currently in beta, is a website that brings together story and video. The service lets users interact with one another by uploading videos full of content and unique stories. Instead of cat videos, users will find passionate and artistic videos. Uploaders can create, share, sell, and support one another all through a single click. The creators plan to release a mobile application once the beta process is over.

Have you ever found yourself online looking for stock photos and other license-free images to use for a project? Have you ever wished there were a site designed to stock free movies, effects, and other templates? There is now. A new entertainment startup called Video Blocks hopes to be the next big thing when it comes to multimedia content. The subscription-based website will provide members with an unlimited amount of downloads of stock video, motion backgrounds, production music, sound effects, special effects, templates, and more. The idea is to provide more for less with a one-time monthly charge.

Now image putting together video, technology, and shopping all in one place — you get WinkIt, a new startup devoted to bringing consumers a venue to purchase items they see in movies, music videos, and films. The company said through its website users can “buy what you have seen in those different entertainment venues…via WinkIt, via our mobile app, or online.” When users click onto the shopping portion of the website, they are taken to a bunch of categories that will lead them to products they could buy from shows, such as Blue Bloods, with more products coming soon. This is a great site to keep watching.

If building an app is more your style, you might want to check out Parse, a company built for the sole purpose of helping other developers. Parse lets users create a fully featured application within a day without the need for server management. The company will even help you integrate social networking, push notifications, data storage, and cloud code. The platform is built for everything from iOS to Windows 8 and Android. The app is currently being used by over 20,000 developers and has shown no signs of slowing.

Last but not least is ideaBOOST. This startup is a business accelerator that lets creative minds submit project or product ideas. The goal is to help companies navigate the entertainment and technology startup. ideaBOOST will help users market and improve their product while getting the training needed to take it to the next level. The company provides submission guidelines on its website.